Placement of Plants

One of my big gripes at this new place is the placement of plants and trees by the previous owners. No thought what so ever for how large the tree or bush will grow and the ease of watering. I think they walked about and threw marbles. Wherever they landed they planted.

No plan was in place on how to water the plants and tree and therefore the neighbor said the previous owners drug hoses from morn to night.

Case in point is that we had a tree planted in the front flower bed within a couple feet of the house, next to the tiny pond that was broken. Other trees were hundreds of yards apart so dragging a hose becomes a huge chore. Bushes were planted under each water drain spout off the roof to I assume water them but instead in torrential down pours their roots were drowned. And of course they were planted right next to the house so no room to expand making painting  or siding in the future  impossible.

No thought to the size the plant or tree would grow to was given.

At our old place we put a Golden Willow tree that was in a dip in the yard meant to channel water away from the house. It was gorgeous and shaded the south side of the house in the summer saving us a fortune on air conditioning bills. When it rained the extra water funneled past adding moisture. Here, deciduous tree were planted where evergreens should have been and vice versa.


Protection from the wind and storms requires wind breaks which saves on wear and tear on the house and energy bills. Deciduous trees planted on the south blocks the hot sun in the summer and in the winter when foliage falls, allows the sun’s heat to penetrate, warming your home.  

On our present location, trees were half eaten by deer when small so they were badly misshapen. Deer are browsers and love trees and bushes. Your vegetation predators may be voles, prairie dogs, or rabbits. Or they may attract things like bees and your are allergic to bees. Something to think about first. We unfortunately did not think the whole way through when we planted our Russian Olive trees at the previous home. Over the mountain from us they spread like wild fire and planting was outlawed but they never spread in the 33 years we lived there. What they did was attract dusty millers which poo everywhere and stain everything.

Protection from animals or insects needs to be considered.

Our master bathroom has a HUGE window overlooking the mountains and the previous owners planted a tree right in front of it completely blocking the view. What was the point in that? Our nearest neighbor would need some pretty powerful binoculars to see us naked. I’d guarantee you they’d only look once. Not a pretty site.

The view needs to be considered.


What is the focal point from the main windows of the house? Ours is the mountains so we do not want trees on the west side. We will also put in solid glass windows and replace the sliders that break up the view. On the east however houses are very slowly encroaching. The view is not pretty on that side anyway so we are adding to the pine tree line that was started in order to block the view. We need to figure out a much better way to water them though and will build a watering line that will do the whole row all at once.

The water source is far away. How to water needs considered. Plant groupings are much easier to water than trees and bushes scattered about.

We’ve chopped down 10 trees and a few more are questionable what we will do. The pine tree line to the east is planted far too close together so some of them will have to be removed in the future as they grow larger. Some cottonwoods scattered about the yard are in question since they serve no purpose where they are located. Our well can only water so much. Then there is the tree planted off in the south forty so to speak. What was its purpose?

Whether it is to block the view, provide protection, or beautify, trees and bushes should have a purpose. A plan should be in place to water along with thought placed to their safety as far as predators are concerned.

What a waste of time and money. That includes the loss of the north side of our house’s siding since a wind break was never planted. We would like to have had room to build a larger wind break but location of garden shed etc. limits our landscaping plan.


If I could advice someone who has just bought a new place it is if you have the money and know of a talented company to do your landscaping then do. Otherwise don’t be in a hurry. The years we have had to wait have not been wasted as it has given us a feel for the weather, the limits of the well, the things we want to accentuate and the things we want to hide.

We now know where the bird feeder pole needed placed to insure the safety of the birds from our cats. We know where to put the clothesline pole so it is not in view of the neighbors or us when we look out the window. We know where we need trees and where we don’t. The paths we naturally walk about the place and where we drive to haul supplies. Time can be a great decider.




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